Whitecliff Bay and Bembridge Ledges

Site of Special Scientific Interest · 50.6812, -1.0775

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Also within

Isle of Wight County Isle Of Wight Scenic Area

Condition (Natural England)

Favourable (7) Unfavourable No Change (1)
UnitFeatureConditionArea (ha)Assessed
SZ638859 — Favourable 3.63 2009-01-20
SZ640860 — Favourable 5.5 2010-03-15
SZ641862 — Favourable 2.89 2009-01-20
SZ645865 — Favourable 6.03 2009-01-20
SZ648869 — Favourable 4.59 2009-01-20
SZ651885 — Favourable 18.32 2010-03-15
SZ652871 — Unfavourable No Change 1.23 2009-02-23
SZ655871 — Favourable 89.83 2010-03-15

Climate exposure

This is about exposure to a nationwide pressure this habitat type carries — not a verdict on this site's own management.

Coastal

Coastal habitats are exposed to sea-level rise and storm erosion. Where hard sea defences sit behind them, there's nowhere landward to retreat to — a squeeze that keeps compressing the habitat no matter how well it's managed.

Habitats

Coastal vegetated shingle, Mixed scrub, Montane scrub

Geology & landscape

Geological Period: Paleogene · Rock Type: Chalk, Limestone

Landscape processes: Coastal

Description

Area, 131.6 hectares 325.2 ac Description The Whitecliff Bay and Bembridge Ledges Site of Special Scientific Interest comprises extensive areas of intertidal sand, rock and shingle and includes a series of actively eroding cliffs. Collectively these features comprise the coastline of a broad heathland at the eastern extremity of the Isle of Wight. This site is geologically important because of the famous and well exposed rock sequence from the Chalk to the Bembridge Marls which is seen here and also because of the important fossil mammal faunas and fossil plant floras which occur at certain horizons. Whitecliff Bay provides probably the most continuous exposures of Palaeogene sediments in western Europe, with a near complete series of Upper Palaeocene to Lower Oligocene strata exposed. The bay provides stratotype sections for certain parts of the Eocene succession and exposes rock sections of importance for comparative purposes throughout the Hampshire Basin. Whitecliff Bay is the best exposure of the dominantly marine facies of the Bracklesham Formation, which dominates the eastern portion of the Hampshire Basin; these rocks yield a fossil fauna that enables important stratigraphic correlations with the continent to be made. The entire section is of particular interest in that it clearly illustrates both the strongly cyclical nature of sedimentation in the Hampshire Basin and also the general change from dominantly marine to brackish and freshwater environments during the Eocene. Within the Headon Hill Formation and the Bembridge Marls occur two important faunas of fossil mammals, from which 21 species have been identified. Only one other locality in Europe yields mammal faunas from rocks of this age and has a much less diverse fauna than Whitecliff. This is therefore a key site for the study of mammal faunas at horizons close to the Eocene Oligocene boundary. Fossil plant material may be collected from several levels throughout the Sequence, of late Palaeocene to early Oligocene age and a unique late Eocene lignite band occurs within the Bracklesham Group. An important series of charophyte algal floras occurs at several limits within the sequence and are of great value in correlation. This site has great potential for future research in palaeobotany. Ecologically the great diversity of intertidal habitats is reflected in an abundant and rich algal flora including many rare species. With the nearby St Helens Ledges Site of Special Scientific Interest the diversity of the algal community is thought to be unique in Britain, whilst the ledges provide the best examples of a rock shore fauna on the south coast east of Poole Harbour. The actively eroding cliffs support a variety of plant communities ranging from pioneers on freshly exposed cliff faces to woodland on the most mature cliff slumps. The most recent slumps are largely unvegetated except for scattered coltsfoot Tussilago farfara, bristly ox tongue Helminthotheca echioides and grass species of which creeping bent Agrostis stolonifera is most common. As the cliff slump matures grass species tend to predominate with red fescue Festuca rubra being most abundant, with in association a variety of plants of calcareous soils such as yellow wort Blackstonia perfoliata, rest-harrow Ononis repens, bird's foot trefoil Lotus corniculatus and wild carrot Daucus carota. The rare yellow bartsia Parentucellia viscosa was also rediscovered in this habitat in 1984 after last having been recorded on the Isle of Wight from this location in 1860. In wetter areas giant horsetail Equisetum telmateia, pendulous sedge Carex pendula and common reed Phragmites australis occur. The grassy cliff faces in turn give way to dense scrub of blackthorn, hawthorn and bramble with gorse Ulex europaeus being common on the sandy soils around Whitecliff Bay and willow in wetter areas. The most mature slumps have developed into woodland dominated by pedunculate oak Quercus robur, occasionally with suckering English elm Ulmus procera. The ground flora is generally poor but includes stinking iris Iris foetidissima, primose Primula vulgaris, hart's tongue fern Asplenium scolopendrium and male fern Dryopteris filix-mas. The presence of these successional vegetation types on these cliffs is of considerable scientific interest. The intertidal seashore consists of a series of rocky, Bembridge Limestone platforms or ledges with intervening lagoons of sand and shingle. The ledges have eroded into a complex of roughly rectangular crevices characteristic of limestone pavements. The ledges on the upper shore are dominated by scattered bladder wrack Fucus vesiculosus. This gives way in the middle and lower shore to extensive mats of sea wrack Fucus serratus, punctuated by pools in the wider rock crevices, in which rare algal species such as Padina pavonica and Gracilaria bursa-pastoris occur. The rocky shore fauna includes many species in the easterly limit of their range such as the limpet Patella aspera and the snake locks anemone Anemonia sulcata. The ten species of macro crustacean recorded also include lobster Homarus gammarus, squat lobster Galathea squamifera, hermit crab Pagurus bernhardus, edible crab Cancer pagurus and long clawed porcelain crab Porcellaria longicornis; many of these species being rare or uncommon on the south coast. The outer edge of the limestone ledges is fringed by a dense growth of oar weed Laminaria species. The sheltered lagoons support large beds of eelgrass Zostera marina and Zostera angustifolia. The Zostera marina exhibits a wide range of morphological variation dependent on position in the tidal range and on water depth and is also one of the largest beds of this species on the south coast. The lagoons also support dense and probably competing, growths of Japanese seaweed Sargassum muticum, first recorded in Britain from this site in the early 1970s. Status, Site of Special Scientific Interest SSSI notified under Section 28 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981

Species mentioned

English name
search for this in other sites		 Latin name
search with Google		 IUCN / Red List Type Family
serrated wrack Fucus serratus Not listed in GB list algae brown fucaceae
bladder wrack Fucus vesiculosus Not listed in GB list algae brown fucaceae
peacock's tail Padina pavonica Not listed in GB list algae brown dictyotaceae
japweed Sargassum muticum Not listed in GB list algae brown sargassaceae
shepherd's purse wart weed Gracilaria bursa-pastoris Not listed in GB list algae red gracilariaceae
snakelocks anemone Anemonia sulcata Not listed in GB list anemone actiniidae
edible crab Cancer pagurus Not listed in GB list crustacean cancridae
hermit crab Pagurus bernhardus Not listed in GB list crustacean paguridae
hart's-tongue fern Asplenium scolopendrium LC fern aspleniaceae
male fern Dryopteris filix-mas LC fern dryopteridaceae
creeping bent Agrostis stolonifera LC grass poaceae
red fescue Festuca rubra LC grass poaceae
common reed Phragmites australis LC grass poaceae
yellowwort Blackstonia perfoliata LC herb gentianaceae
wild carrot Daucus carota LC herb apiaceae
great horsetail Equisetum telmateia LC herb equisetaceae
bristly ox-tongue Helminthotheca echioides LC herb asteraceae
stinking iris Iris foetidissima LC herb iridaceae
birdsfoot trefoil Lotus corniculatus LC herb fabaceae
common rest-harrow Ononis repens VU herb fabaceae
yellow bartsia Parentucellia viscosa LC herb orobanchaceae
primrose Primula vulgaris LC herb primulaceae
colts-foot Tussilago farfara LC herb asteraceae
narrow leaved eelgrass Zostera angustifolia Not listed in GB list herb zosteraceae
eelgrass Zostera marina VU herb zosteraceae
pendulous sedge Carex pendula LC sedge cyperaceae
gorse Ulex europaeus LC shrub leguminosae
common oak Quercus robur LC tree fagaceae
English elm Ulmus procera LC tree ulmaceae

Plant communities

MC6 — Coastal vegetated shingle, Hard cliff and cliff slope

Atriplex prostrata-Beta vulgaris ssp. maritima sea-bird cliff community

Daucus carota, Sonchus oleraceus, Taraxacum officianalis, Tripleurospermum maritimum, Cochlearia officinalis, Silene uniflora, Spergularia rupicola, Atriplex hastata, Malva arborea, Plantago coronopus, Armeria maritima, Polygonum aviculare, Rumex crispus, Bromus hordeaceous, Catapodium marinum, Dactylis glomerata, Festuca rubra

SD1 — Coastal vegetated shingle, Sand dune

Rumex crispus-Glaucium flavum shingle community

Solanum dulcamara, Crithmum maritimum, Cirsium arvense, Cirsium vulgare, Helminthotheca echioides, Hypochaeris radicata, Jacobaea vulgaris, Lactuca serriola, Leontodon saxatilis, Senecio viscosus, Sonchus arvensis, Sonchus asper, Tripleurospermum maritimum, Crambe maritima, Cerastium fontanum, Honckenya peploides, Sagina apetala, Silene uniflora, Atriplex prostrata, Sedum acre, Euphorbia paralias, Lathyrus japonicus, Geranium robertianum, Glaucium flavum, Plantago coronopus, Plantago lanceolata, Rumex crispus, Potentilla anserina, Ammophila arenaria, Arrhenatherum elatius, Elytrigia atherica, Elytrigia juncea, Festuca rubra, Holcus lanatus, Lolium perenne

SD2 — Coastal vegetated shingle, Sand dune

Honkenya peploides-Cakile maritima strandline community

Salsola kali, Achillea millefolium, Cirsium arvense, Eryngium maritimum, Hypochaeris radicata, Senecio vulgaris, Sonchus arvensis, Tripleurospermum maritimum, Cakile maritima, Cerastium diffusum, Honckenya peploides, Silene uniflora, Stellaria media agg., Atriplex glabriuscula, Atriplex laciniata, Atriplex littoralis, Atriplex patula, Atriplex prostrata, Sedum acre, Polygonum oxyspermum subsp. Raii, Rumex crispus, Potentilla anserina, Agrostis stolonifera, Ammophila arenaria, Arrhenatherum elatius, Elytrigia juncea, Elytrigia repens, Festuca rubra, Leymus arenarius, Poa annua

SD3 — Coastal vegetated shingle, Sand dune

Matricaria maritima-Galium aparine strandline community

Bolboschoenus maritimus, Juncus bufonius, Juncus gerardii, Ligusticum scoticum, Matricaria discoidea, Sonchus arvensis, Sonchus asper, Tripleurospermum maritimum, Mertensia maritima, Cakile maritima, Cochlearia officinalis, Honckenya peploides, Stellaria media agg., Atriplex glabriuscula, Atriplex patula, Atriplex prostrata, Triglochin maritimum, Plantago maritima, Armeria maritima, Rumex crispus, Glaux maritima, Galium aparine, Agrostis stolonifera, Elytrigia repens, Festuca rubra, Holcus lanatus, Leymus arenarius, Poa annua

W20 — Montane scrub

Salix lapponum-Luzula sylvatica scrub

Salix arbuscula, Salix cinerea, Salix lapponum, Salix myrsinites, Salix phylicifolia, Salix reticulata, Empetrum nigrum, Calluna vulgaris, Salix lanata, Vaccinium myrtillus, Vaccinium uliginosum, Carex atrata, Carex bigelowii, Carex binervis, Carex flacca, Luzula multiflora, Luzula sylvatica, Huperzia selago, Selaginella selaginoides, Aulacomnium palustre, Mnium hornum, Philonotis fontana, Plagiomnium undulatum, Rhizomnium punctatum, Dicranum bonjeanii, Dicranum majus, Dicranum scoparium, Fissidens adianthoides, Racomitrium lanuginosum, Calliergonell cuspidatum, Ctenidium molluscum, Hylocomium splendens, Hypnum callichroum, Hypnum cupressiforme, Palustriella commutatum, Plagiothecium denticulatum, Plagiothecium undulatum, Pleurozium schreberi, Ptilium crista-castrensis, Rhytidiadelphus loreus, Rhytidiadelphus squarrosus, Rhytidiadelphus triquetrus, Sanionia uncinata, Scorpidium revolvens, Thuidium tamariscinum, Atrichum undulatum, Polytrichastrum alpinum, Sphagnum capillifolium, Sphagnum fallax, Sphagnum girgensohnii, Sphagnum palustre, Sphagnum russowii, Sphagnum squarrosum, Sphagnum subnitens, Sphagnum teres, Barbilophozia barbata, Chiloscyphus polyanthos, Diplophyllum albicans, Lophocolea bidentata, Plagiochila porelloides, Ptilidium ciliare, Scapania undulata, Cladonia squamosa, Peltigera canina, Angelica sylvestris, Caltha palustris, Hieraclium spp., Saussurea alpina, Solidago virgaurea, Campanula rotundifolia, Succisa pratensis, Valeriana officinalis, Rhodiola rosea, Vaccinium vitis-idaea, Thymus praecox, Epilobium anagallidifolium, Dactylorhiza viridis, Euphrasia officinalis, Rhinanthus minor, Oxalis acetosella, Oxyria digyna, Polygonum viviparum, Rumex acetosa, Anemone nemorosa, Ranunculus acris, Thalictrum alpinum, Alchemilla alpina, Alchemilla glabra, Filipendula ulmaria, Geum rivale, Galium boreale, Galium saxatile, Saxifraga aizoides, Saxifraga hypnoides, Saxifraga oppositifolia, Saxifraga stellaris, Viola riviniana, Agrostis canina, Agrostis capillaris, Anthoxanthum odoratum, Deschampsia cespitosa, Deschampsia flexuosa, Festuca ovina, Festuca rubra, Nardus stricta, Dryopteris dilatata, Phegopteris connectilis

W21 — Hedgerow scrub, Mixed scrub

Crataegus monogyna-Hedera helix scrub

Hedera helix, Salix cinerea, Acer pseudoplatanus, Ilex aquifolium, Betula pendula, Corylus avellana, Fagus sylvatica, Quercus robur, Fraxinus excelsior, Malus sylvestris, Sorbus aria, Taxus baccata, Ulmus glabra, Ulmus procera, Sambucus nigra, Viburnum lantana, Euonymus europaeus, Cornus sanguinea, Juniperus communis, Ligustrum vulgare, Clematis vitalba, Rhamnus cathartica, Crataegus laevigata, Crataegus monogyna, Prunus spinosa, Juncus effusus, Plagiomnium undulatum, Brachythecium rutabulum, Kindbergia praelonga, Rhynchostegium confertum, Tamus communis, Heracleum sphondylium, Torilis japonica, Arum maculatum, Arctium minus, Cirsium arvense, Lonicera periclymenum, Moehringia trinervia, Silene dioica, Stellaria graminea, Stellaria holostea, Stellaria media agg., Calystegia sepium, Mercurialis perennis, Geranium robertianum, Iris foetidissima, Glechoma hederacea, Lamium purpureum, Origanum vulgare, Stachys sylvatica, Teucrium scorodonia, Allium ursinum, Hyacinthoides non-scripta, Circaea lutetiana, Rumex sanguineus, Anemone nemorosa, Ranunculus repens, Fragaria vesca, Geum urbanum, Potentilla sterilis, Poterium sanguisorba, Rosa arvensis, Rosa canina, Rubia peregrina, Rubus fruticosus agg., Galium aparine, Urtica dioica, Viola riviniana, Anisantha sterilis, Arrhenatherum elatius, Brachypodium pinnatum, Brachypodium sylvaticum, Bromopsis erecta, Dactylis glomerata, Elytrigia repens, Holcus lanatus, Holcus mollis, Poa trivialis, Asplenium scolopendrium, Pteridium aquilinum, Dryopteris filix-mas

W22 — Hedgerow scrub, Mixed scrub

Prunus spinosa-Rubus fruticosus scrub

Hedera helix, Acer campestre, Corylus avellana, Ulex europaeus, Prunus spinosa, Plagiomnium undulatum, Brachythecium rutabulum, Eurhynchium striatum, Kindbergia praelonga, Thuidium tamariscinum, Atrichum undulatum, Lophocolea bidentata, Achillea millefolium, Cardamine flexuosa, Lonicera periclymenum, Moehringia trinervia, Silene dioica, Silene uniflora, Stellaria media agg., Mercurialis perennis, Geranium robertianum, Stachys sylvatica, Teucrium scorodonia, Hyacinthoides non-scripta, Oxalis acetosella, Digitalis purpurea, Plantago lanceolata, Veronica chamaedrys, Armeria maritima, Rumex acetosa, Filipendula ulmaria, Geum urbanum, Rosa canina, Rubus fruticosus agg., Rubus idaeus, Galium aparine, Urtica dioica, Viola riviniana, Agrostis capillaris, Brachypodium sylvaticum, Dactylis glomerata, Festuca rubra, Holcus lanatus, Holcus mollis, Poa trivialis, Asplenium scolopendrium, Pteridium aquilinum, Dryopteris borreri, Dryopteris filix-mas